Porter Memorial Library is the public library of
Machias, Maine. It is located at 92 Court Street in the center Machias, in an architecturally distinguished
Romanesque Revival building, whose construction was funded by native son Henry Homes Porter. The building was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Architecture and history
The library is located near the center of Machias's downtown area, at the junction of Court and Free Streets. It is a 1-1/2 story masonry building, constructed out of ashlar granite in the Romanesque Revival style. It has an T-shaped plan, the stem of the T paralleling Court Street, with
gable ends facing to the north, west, and south, that are capped by Romanesque
pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was mainly ...
s. The main entrance is in the northern corner of the T, sheltered by a
portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...
with large round arches. The adjacent gable end has a band of five smaller round-arch windows on the first floor, and a pair of slender round-arch windows in the attic level.
The Machias Library Association was formed about 1815 by Rufus K. Porter, a local attorney. His son, Henry Homes Porter, was a successful railroad executive. With the library of his hometown lacking in funding and a permanent home, he gave $1,500 in 1891 to stabilize its financial situation, and promised an additional $9,000 for construction of a permanent home. The present building was designed by
Boston, Massachusetts architect
George A. Clough and was completed in 1893. It was named to honor both Porters for their role in its founding.
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See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Maine
References
External links
Porter Memorial Library
official site
{{authority control
Library buildings completed in 1893
Machias, Maine
Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine
Public libraries in Maine
Libraries in Washington County, Maine
National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, Maine